setting up a salt water tank
- Thread starter csa dad
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refonpit
New member
Thanx for the compliment on pic. How much??? Well I dont know where to start. It would have to be in the $$$$. I started with all the wrong equipment and had to buy again to keep what I wanted. I got the tank, stand, compact lighting and canister filter at Petland.
My wee brain couldnt comprehend the workings of a sump at first. There are some pretty elaborate ones out there, so I went with a canister. Bad move! Could not keep nitrates down. Ended up at Walmart with a 30 gal.tote, stucka good protein skimmer in it and wahlah!! A sump!
Need to keep in mind also WHERE to place the aquarium. They are heavy. Mine is only a 72 Gal and we had to put in floor jacks.
99% of all my corals came from these guys. You buy a little and they give alot. Debbie
My wee brain couldnt comprehend the workings of a sump at first. There are some pretty elaborate ones out there, so I went with a canister. Bad move! Could not keep nitrates down. Ended up at Walmart with a 30 gal.tote, stucka good protein skimmer in it and wahlah!! A sump!
Need to keep in mind also WHERE to place the aquarium. They are heavy. Mine is only a 72 Gal and we had to put in floor jacks.
99% of all my corals came from these guys. You buy a little and they give alot. Debbie
ro membrane the key to an ro/di system no chance for DIY. You could buy water but the ro/di system pays for itself unless you are doing a small tank with minimal water changes and top off water. you can also look for a used one but if the membrane is no good then that is the most expensive part of the ro/di system.
I ran a 55 fish only sw tank on an XP3 cannister filter then turned it into a reef and it ran fine for lps corals and soft corals for years before I upgraded to a sump and better skimmer. My nitrates were always between 1-5 but everything was healthy and no unwanted algae.
My 120 had a $4 tote from walmart as a sump with a skimmer in it and a hang on skimmer. Again nitrates were 1-5 usually but I was not focused on the more demanding sps corals primarily because of the lights I was running power compacts.
so if you want to go SPS corals that means more light and better skimming and water quality (more $$$). Other corals you can cut some corners and for fish only you can cut even more.
I ran a 55 fish only sw tank on an XP3 cannister filter then turned it into a reef and it ran fine for lps corals and soft corals for years before I upgraded to a sump and better skimmer. My nitrates were always between 1-5 but everything was healthy and no unwanted algae.
My 120 had a $4 tote from walmart as a sump with a skimmer in it and a hang on skimmer. Again nitrates were 1-5 usually but I was not focused on the more demanding sps corals primarily because of the lights I was running power compacts.
so if you want to go SPS corals that means more light and better skimming and water quality (more $$$). Other corals you can cut some corners and for fish only you can cut even more.
210 is 7' x 2' x 2'
softie corals and LPS corals in general require less light, are easier to keep, and cost less. You can put together a very nice system without every putting SPS corals in it. When you get to the point of putting corals in the tank there are plenty of people in the area who can hook you up with some good deals.
softie corals and LPS corals in general require less light, are easier to keep, and cost less. You can put together a very nice system without every putting SPS corals in it. When you get to the point of putting corals in the tank there are plenty of people in the area who can hook you up with some good deals.
ade
New member
I think the reason that Landen didn't reply within your time frame is the same reason he sold his tank, he is in and out of the country most weeks.
Here is my 2c, look online for corals for sale and make a list of what you like. You can do a mixed reef and if you get a chance to see Brads tank this weekend you will see a top of the line mixed reef.
Depending on what kind of cash you are willing to throw down also depends on where you want to go with your tank.
There are certain types of hard and soft coral that cannot be placed next to eachother. The anemones will often times sting other coral if it's too close to it. You will need to spread out the coral and take into account how large the coral will get. Often times the soft coral will stay smaller than the hard coral. Hard coral is made for large saltwater tanks with multiple pumps for water movement. Soft corals don't require as much water movement as hard corals normally will.
Hard coral is a lot different than soft coral. Some types of soft coral aren't actually soft like you would think that they are. Hard coral is much more difficult to keep alive. It requires a very high powered light and often times you will need to spend at least $500 for a good lighting system. You will still need a good light with soft coral but it doesn't need to be as good as it would for hard coral. Soft coral is also a lot easier to take care of. It's also a lot easier to maintain and keep alive. Hard coral is not recommended for the beginner.
If you are new to the saltwater fish hobby you will only want to purchase soft coral. You can purchase different types of polyps and mushrooms. These are considered soft corals even though they are not coral. You can also purchase invertebrates such as the sea urchin because they are just as easy to keep alive as your average soft coral would be. You will want to add supplements to the water such as iodine and trace elements if you have soft coral in your fish tank. Most types of hard coral will require a lot more supplements than your soft coral would.
With hard coral you will have to purchase calcium reactor or does a two part system at least. Most types of hard coral will require at least six different supplements in order to keep them alive and most of the time regular water changes will be sufice. If you have a large fish tank you would expect to go through a lot of salt and supliments = cash. So hard coral can be more expensive to take care of than soft coral would be. If you add too much you can develop an algae problem which is hard to get rid of.
Slow slow slow with everthing.
Are you local?
Here is my 2c, look online for corals for sale and make a list of what you like. You can do a mixed reef and if you get a chance to see Brads tank this weekend you will see a top of the line mixed reef.
Depending on what kind of cash you are willing to throw down also depends on where you want to go with your tank.
There are certain types of hard and soft coral that cannot be placed next to eachother. The anemones will often times sting other coral if it's too close to it. You will need to spread out the coral and take into account how large the coral will get. Often times the soft coral will stay smaller than the hard coral. Hard coral is made for large saltwater tanks with multiple pumps for water movement. Soft corals don't require as much water movement as hard corals normally will.
Hard coral is a lot different than soft coral. Some types of soft coral aren't actually soft like you would think that they are. Hard coral is much more difficult to keep alive. It requires a very high powered light and often times you will need to spend at least $500 for a good lighting system. You will still need a good light with soft coral but it doesn't need to be as good as it would for hard coral. Soft coral is also a lot easier to take care of. It's also a lot easier to maintain and keep alive. Hard coral is not recommended for the beginner.
If you are new to the saltwater fish hobby you will only want to purchase soft coral. You can purchase different types of polyps and mushrooms. These are considered soft corals even though they are not coral. You can also purchase invertebrates such as the sea urchin because they are just as easy to keep alive as your average soft coral would be. You will want to add supplements to the water such as iodine and trace elements if you have soft coral in your fish tank. Most types of hard coral will require a lot more supplements than your soft coral would.
With hard coral you will have to purchase calcium reactor or does a two part system at least. Most types of hard coral will require at least six different supplements in order to keep them alive and most of the time regular water changes will be sufice. If you have a large fish tank you would expect to go through a lot of salt and supliments = cash. So hard coral can be more expensive to take care of than soft coral would be. If you add too much you can develop an algae problem which is hard to get rid of.
Slow slow slow with everthing.
Are you local?
ade
New member
When I started I was not interested in SPS, no movement at all just colored stick, I had softies and LPS because of the fact of movement in the tank. Funny thing is that after meeting other i the club and years of doing just lps and softies. I started adding a frag of sps here and there. Now my tank is 90% sps.
I guess what I am saying is that you might start out with fish only, then add a few softies /lps and maybe down the line grow into sps. I just don't think that you can say what you want until you have seen other tanks. I would just let the tank grow with you.
I have the same light setup now as when I first started. I have added other pumps and such and upgraded skimmers over the years but my core system is still the same. A 15 year old 180 with 3 x 175MH and VHO's.
I guess what I am saying is that you might start out with fish only, then add a few softies /lps and maybe down the line grow into sps. I just don't think that you can say what you want until you have seen other tanks. I would just let the tank grow with you.
I have the same light setup now as when I first started. I have added other pumps and such and upgraded skimmers over the years but my core system is still the same. A 15 year old 180 with 3 x 175MH and VHO's.
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